Today, the healthcare sector is paving its way in the lives of each person across different corners of the world. The growing public need for utmost healthcare services due to the swift change in their lifestyles, hectic schedules, improper diet, etc., is causing various health problems and making overall life difficult. It is also one of the many reasons deadly diseases like cancer are becoming very common globally.
As a result, the need for reliable, effective, & robust medications to cure such health conditions is surging rapidly. It is also instigating the governments of different countries to invest substantially in numerous research & development activities for the same & cater to the needs of the rising patient influx. Among all types of Cancers, colorectal cancer (CRC) is now becoming common & affecting many lives, especially across North America, Asia-Pacific, & Europe. With its rising prevalence, a research study has projected 3.5% CAGR for the Global Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Market during 2022-27.
CRC is a combination of colon and rectal cancers. The colon or the large intestine is the part from where all the salts & solid waste of the body is drained & exits through the rectum & anus. Rectal cancer occurs in the rectum, which is closest to the anus. These cancers co-occur in most cases, and medications, developments, & studies for finding their cure are being done together.
The most common & prominent way of figuring out your health conditions is by seeing symptoms & reaching out to a healthcare professional for a closer look. Figuring out what the possible symptoms could be behind colorectal cancer? Read the blog further to find out more.
The patient may match with one or more of the following in a typical CRC condition.
Cases like weight loss are seen mainly in the later stages of cancer. However, they shouldn't be ignored if one finds them during the early stages. The following are the early stage symptoms associated with CRC:
Additionally, while the most hated thing about cancer is its quick spread across different parts of the body, it can also affect the liver and cause additional symptoms like Jaundice as the disease progresses. However, when detected at the right time, oncologists can begin the treatment and limit the spread to a certain extent, depending upon the situation of the patients.
Therapies for Colorectal Cancer
As common cancer has become now, treatments to help curb the disease in patients & even limit the aggressive spread in critical cases are nowhere behind and are extensively available. Depending upon the type & stage of CRC, patient's age, health, & other characteristics, the oncologist would apply the best options available from the following:
These treatments can be practiced alone or in combination, depending upon the condition of patients and can show varying results in eliminating cancer cells, preventing further spread, & reducing uncomfortable symptoms. Let us read the blog further to learn more about these therapies.
Talking about the most extensively practiced therapy, immunotherapy tops the list in the CRC treatment. As people are becoming more educated about its benefits, like minimal chances of adverse health effects and absence of any specificity or toxicity, its adoption is increasing at a phenomenal pace. In fact, depending upon the situation & requirement, immunotherapy is also combined with chemotherapy for more effectiveness. It further develops resistance in the body to fight cancer and prep the immune system to only target the cancerous cells in the system.
Chemotherapy is one of the most common therapies in the treatment of cancer and can be done in combination with other therapies for effective results in patients. In the therapy, the team of oncologists administers medications that interfere with the process of cell divisions by disrupting the proteins or DNS to kill or damage the cancer cells. This treatment also targets the healthy cells that might be showing rapid divisions, yet they recover from the chemo-induced damage, which is not the case with the cancer cells.
While seeking therapies with high effectiveness & success chance, targeted therapies for CRC are nowhere behind. These therapies, in simple words, target the cancer cells and makes it easier for the immune system to detect & destroy them without affecting the healthy cells. In some cases, the professional teams might also alter the drugs in the therapy to restrain the tumor growth and strengthen the immune system.
The therapy is known for killing the cancer cells by focusing the high-energy gamma rays on the cells using a machine outside the body. In the case of using radiation therapy internally, the oncologist implants the radioactive materials near the cancer cells in the form of seeds to target their killing. These therapies are also recommended as a standalone treatment to reduce the tumor size or destroy cancer cells, yet they can also be done in combination with other treatments for the same to attain better effectiveness. In the case of the CRC, oncologists practice radiofrequency ablation therapies in patients until the later stages. The application of these therapies in early-stage patients is rare and is done only at the rectum wall or when the cancer is near the lymph nodes.
Surgery is one of the prominent treatments for CRC in patients with early-stage cancer, where the spread is only in the polyp. In such cases, the patient would have the entire polyp removed that is affected by cancer. The surgeon may also remove some surrounding areas like the nearby lymph nodes to reduce the risk of cancer spreading and either reattach the healthy colon or create a stoma, depending upon the extent of the surgery in the patient.
Takeaway
While cancer is scary, advancements in the medication & healthcare industry owing to rigorous research & developments, coupled with easy access to therapies & diagnosis, bring hopes of a cure & better life to patients. Hence, as common as CRC is becoming, governments of different countries worldwide are conducting various R&D activities associated with oncology, including CRC, in order to make their respective healthcare sectors more developed. Hence, these aspects project a pool of opportunities for the leading payers involved in the Global Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Market to cater to patient needs over the coming years.
